Snout-slitter for swine.



N0. 639,869. Patented Dec. 26, I899. J. G. SMITH.

SNOUT SLlTTE-R FOR SWINE.

7712mm; 5 3 3. INVZ-INTLYR.

Cfo/v/v 6' SM/ 7/,

UNITED STATES PATENT Osman.

JOHN G. SMITH, OF PAWNEE, ILLINOIS.

SNOUT-SLITTER FOR SWINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,869, dated December 26, 1899. Application filed September 15,1899- Serial No. 730,538. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pawnee, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Snout-Slitters,of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use my said invention.

My invention relates to devices for cutting off a portion of the cartilage in the snouts of swine to prevent them from rooting, and re lates particularly to devices of that class which are in the form of pincers, having on one member a knife and having on the other memberablock against which said knife cuts.

The purposes of my invention are to provide a device of the class described with a knife of novel and improved form adapted to out the snoutin such manner as to completely remove the central part thereof and leave on the snout lateral lobes connected for a part of their width with the side portions of the snout and for a part of their width separated from the snout by an open space, such as will efiectually prevent the lobes from contacting with and growing again onto the snout, and to provide a cutting-block of improved form so constructed and arranged that a downwardly and forwardly inclined direction may be given to the cut, to the end that the cut may follow closely around the end of the bone in the hogs nose in such manner as to completely extirpate the central and efiective part of the rooter.

With these ends in View my invention consists in the novel features of construction and combinations of parts shown in the annexed drawings to which reference is hereby made, and hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete device, and Fig. 2

is an enlarged horizontal section on the line X X of Fig. 1.

Similar reference-numerals designate like parts in both of the views.

The device is in the general form of a pair of pincers, consisting of a knife member 1 and a block member 2, having a pivotal connection 3. The member 2 is provided with a block 4, having an inclined front end 5, which is pressed against the end of the hogs nose when the instrument is in use, and having a flat upper surface, against which the knife cuts. The block 4 is preferably of wood and is preferably connected with the member 2 by a bolt 6; but the block may be integral with the member 2, and its upper surface may be covered with some yielding material, such as leather, to prevent injury to the knife,- without departing from my invention.

The knife 7 is formed of a single piece of metal concavo-convex in its central part and concavo-convex at its sides and has concavo convex wings extending rearward ly and laterally, which at their base merge into the concavo-convex sides, as shown. The lower edge of the knife is drawn down toa cutting edge and cuts against the upper surface of the block 4. In the preferable form of the device the knife 7 is secured to the member 1 by a bolt 8 or other suitable securing device. The knife 7 may be made integral with the mem ber 1 without departing from my invention.

In practical use the pincers are opened and the end of the block 4. is pressed against the end of the hogs nose. The membersare then pressed together to close the pincers, thereby causing the knife to make a downwardly and forwardly inclined cut through the cartilage of the hogs nose. This inclined out follows closely around the end of the bone and cuts out and completely removes the central and effective part of the rooter, but leaves on each side of said out lobes which for a part of their width are connected with the hogs nose, but for a part of their width are separated therefrom by a space equal to the distance between the wings and the concavoconvex front or central part of the. knife. The intervening space between the lobes and the hogs nose effectively prevents the lobes from contacting with and growing again onto the hogs nose.

Duringthe operation of cutting the instrument is-turned somewhat downward on the inclined front end of the block 4, and thereby causes the knife to make a forwardly and downwardly inclined cut extending closely around the end of the bone in the hogs nose instead of making a direct downward out through the bone, as would be the case if the instrument Were held rigidly.

Having fnllydescribed my invention, what V 5 I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A knife for snout-slitters consisting of a concavo-convex central part, concavo-convex sides merging into said central part and con- 10 cave-convex wings merging into said sides;

in combination With a pincer member carrying said knife, and a pincer member pivotally connected with said first-named pincer memher and having a surface against which said knife cuts.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name, at Springfield, Illinois, this 13th day of September, 1899.

JOHN G. SMITII.

W'itnesses:

ELMER E. PARKS, A. T. BARNETT. 

